Arch Coal to Scale Back Production at Wyoming Mine

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — Arch Coal has announced plans to scale back production at its Black Thunder mine in northeast Wyoming by about 10 million ton this year.

Company CFO Paul A. Lang on Thursday cited flat sales and a weak market for Powder River Basin coal. Whether the production drop means layoffs at Black Thunder wasn't addressed.

Arch expects Black Thunder to produce between 62 million and 68 million tons of coal this year.

That production level would put the mine below its 2017 production and on par with its 2016 production during the recent industry downturn. It also would be more than 31 percent less than the 99.4 million tons mined in 2015.